Auggie's Guide to Not Being Eaten For Lunch

A few days ago, JK saw something pretty unusual in the backyard when we got up to make breakfast. She stood at the window for a long time, and then decided to get on her boots and investigate. The Mysterious Thing was gone when she got outside, but she saw his tracks in the snow. Who was this visitor?

He looked like this:

photo credit: Creative Commons fair use - Wikipedia/ marya

Only picture him sitting near the fence behind a snow drift. 

That's right! A coyote was hanging out in MY snow in broad daylight!

Now, we may be Wolfs around here (ha ha!), but we love all God' creatures, and we feel bad for the coyotes. Their homes are being taken away by new buildings and sports fields, and they don't have a lot of options, especially in the winter. So they are homeless, and HUNGRY. And that makes us sad. But it also means that little pups like yours truly may start to look a bit like a tasty snack to them!

In fact, there have been at least 3 little dogs who have been snatched by coyotes near our house so far this winter! That, my friends, is sad news. We little dogs have got to be safe!

So allow me to present:

Auggie's Guide to Not Being Eaten By a Coyote.

1. Convince your people that you really don't need to go outside anymore.
Show them this blog post, and tell them that they can get Puppy Pads at places like Target. People, especially women people, LOVE to go to Target. They will be happy you suggested they go there to get you potty pads. Use the potty pads to do your business when it is dark, cold, or snowy, or when you think there may be Dog Eaters around.

2. If you must go outside, be vigilant!

Check the area for coyotes before you start to bundle up, and then keep your eyes peeled for big guys who look like dogs, but are walking or running without people.

3. Stick close to your people!

Always wear a leash, and stay where they can scoop you up in case of danger. Bonus if you can get them to carry you the whole time until you are ready to do your Outside Business.

4. If you do see a coyote, make lots of noise!

JK and Dr. Wolf said that they will yell and clap and throw snow at a coyote if we see one, and told me I should bark like I do when the UPS man comes to the door - LOUD, with EXTRA ORNERY. The article about the pup-snatching coyotes said that you should make lots of noise and throw things at the coyote to scare him away. Maybe JK should make a decoy Auggie to throw at the coyotes so they will snatch the decoy instead of me. Next time you see her, ask her if she has rocks or pine cones in her coat pockets.

There you have it. Auggie's best suggestions for Coyote Avoidance. I hope that helps my fellow Tiny Dogs stay safe this winter, and all year round!

Thawing Out in Chiberia

I didn't even know it could be this cold for so long! I am missing our house in the South these days, and wishing that all this snow and frozen slush would go away.

Yesterday and today were the first times I had been outside in over one whole week! JK and Mr.Wolf let me use the Puppy Training Pads in the house instead of making me go outside into the terrible cold and snow to do my, ahem, "business". That snow was higher than my head, people! JK said that I would have taken one step off the stoop and just go "PLOOFF" and disappear into the snow. That did not sound like fun to me.

Our Yard. It got even deeper than that.

JK found out that people were calling this bad weather "Chiberia" and she thought that was really funny. That was pretty much the only thing she found funny about it, though, because she barely left the house last week either. Which is great for me. I prefer to have my people home with me.

Here are some ways I stayed warm.

Smooshing in between legs, pillow, and warm laptop.

Snuggling into the big thick blanket.

Sitting directly in front of the heater duct while JK painted the downstairs.

Tucking myself into small places for extra warmth.

Staying under the covers as long as possible.

For the most part, I tried to just lay low and pretend that I never wanted to go outside ever again as long as I lived.

But today, JK and I made our way outside to investigate. It was slushy and cold, but it turned out that it felt great to be out and about in the sunshine. JK made me wear my coat, though. Yuck. I hate the coat.

Tail wagging.

I was glad to see some grass. That's hopeful, right? JK carried me over the big puddles and icy slush. I would have had to swim through some of those big slush puddles. No thanks. It's tough to be a tiny dog in the winter.

Stay warm!

The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

I should have known that today was going to be a Terrible Day when I woke up and JK was grumpy and said that she felt sick. I don't like it when my people are sick, and it makes me mopey. So we got off to a sad start.

But then it got worse.

We went outside, and the wind was blowing SO HARD that it blew my sideways down the pavement. I stumbled a little bit, and had to catch myself from falling. I wanted to go for a long walk but it was just too uncomfortable and windy. We went on a medium walk instead, and I was cold and disappointed.

And then I was unhappy all day because Mr. Wolf was gone and JK spent the day packing up all of our stuff into boxes. Like this:

We are moving to a warm new place, so there is a lot of work to do before the movers come. JK listened to music and put things in boxes. I like the way our apartment looked before she did all the boxes. It was nice the way it used to be.

So I didn't like the boxes part. But that was not even the worst of it. I went up to JK and let her know that I wanted to go outside, so she put on my leash and we went for a loooooong walk to the building in our neighborhood where people will cut dogs' claws and give them baths and things. Luckily, JK never takes me there to get a bath, only to get my claws clipped. I don't really like it, but it is not terrible. USUALLY.

Today there were different workers there, and they didn't seem to know what they were doing. They were a little strange with me while they were clipping my nails, and then when they were finished, they lowered the table closer to the ground and told me to go ahead and jump down from the table. But they had forgotten to take the neck strap off of me, so when I jumped, I was dangling by my neck!! The workers grabbed me and helped me back up to the table, but JK was REALLY angry and I could tell she was trying to keep from yelling angry words at the workers. I was scared for a moment, but I was not hurt. JK was trembling and carried me for a little while until we got outside. Then she called Mr. Wolf's mom. Mr. Wolf's mom is a people doctor, and JK talked with her, and she told JK how to check and make sure my neck was OK. And it was.

But GEEZ! What a day.

I deserve a nap.

Modeling My New Vest (for Jane)

JK has lots of friends whose names begin with the "J" sound. One of her J friends is named Judi, and Judi's daughter's name is Jane. And Judi told JK that Jane would like to see a picture of me in my winter vest, and since I do look quite handsome in my vest, I agreed to take a picture for the blog.

JK says that this vest makes me look like a caterpillar, and then Mr. Wolf said "No! A dogerpillar!" and they laughed. Sometimes my people are kind of embarrassing.

It has already gotten pretty cold here, so I thought that the dreaded winter coat would come out of the box soon, but JK says that I will not need the winter coat this year because we are all going to move together someplace warm called North Carolina. I hear that there are no sidewalks there, though, so I'm not sure how I will like it. Do you think people will leave burritos and cake and lasagna on the ground in our new neighborhood like they do in Rogers Park?

If they do, I will tell you about it on the blog. And if they don't, then I'll put our new address on the blog so you can send me some sidewalk food. I might starve to death without it.